I just Beat The GMAT!

Hello,

I sat for the exam yesterday and scored 700. 41V, 45Q. Quant has been, and continues to be, my Achilles heel.


This was a retake for me. First time around I scored 660 but that was over two years ago. This forum helped me quite a bit and I want to thank everyone for their posts and insights.

How I prepped for the exam:

1. Jan 29 registered to take the exam on Feb 20th and bought the OG.
2. Started review of the quant section. Finished all questions in the problem solving and data sufficiency sections.
3. Scored around 90% on problem solving, 55% on data sufficiency.
4. Started verbal section. Did twenty-five questions from each category (RC, CR, SC) every day for three days.
5. Took the first GMATprep exam scored 680
6. Bought MGMAT books (complete set) on Craigslist for $25. (You don't have to spend a lot of money on the books, buy them online).
7. MGMAT is, in my opinion, by far the best prep material out there.
8. Studied quant books.
9. Bought MGMAT exams.
10. Took the first exam, scored 610.
11. Reviewed and redid by hand questions that I got wrong on the MGMAT exam.
12. Reviewed more quant.
13. Took second MGMAT, scored 630.
14. Two days off from studying.
15. Took GMATPrep exam 2 and scored 740. Two days before actual exam.
16. No more prep.
17. Actual exam.

MGMAT questions were very difficult but very good in terms of teaching me how to solve complex problems. I did not really do anything about DS as that stuff is still alien to me.

I also bought a Kaplan book which I never opened. My recommendation is that you don't waste your time or money on Kaplan, go straight to MGMAT and get yourself a good score.

Hope this post will help you as you prepare for the exam.

Best wishes.

Congratz , all the best

GMATTERS2Me wrote:Hello,

I sat for the exam yesterday and scored 700. 41V, 45Q. Quant has been, and continues to be, my Achilles heel.


This was a retake for me. First time around I scored 660 but that was over two years ago. This forum helped me quite a bit and I want to thank everyone for their posts and insights.

How I prepped for the exam:

1. Jan 29 registered to take the exam on Feb 20th and bought the OG.
2. Started review of the quant section. Finished all questions in the problem solving and data sufficiency sections.
3. Scored around 90% on problem solving, 55% on data sufficiency.
4. Started verbal section. Did twenty-five questions from each category (RC, CR, SC) every day for three days.
5. Took the first GMATprep exam scored 680
6. Bought MGMAT books (complete set) on Craigslist for $25. (You don't have to spend a lot of money on the books, buy them online).
7. MGMAT is, in my opinion, by far the best prep material out there.
8. Studied quant books.
9. Bought MGMAT exams.
10. Took the first exam, scored 610.
11. Reviewed and redid by hand questions that I got wrong on the MGMAT exam.
12. Reviewed more quant.
13. Took second MGMAT, scored 630.
14. Two days off from studying.
15. Took GMATPrep exam 2 and scored 740. Two days before actual exam.
16. No more prep.
17. Actual exam.

MGMAT questions were very difficult but very good in terms of teaching me how to solve complex problems. I did not really do anything about DS as that stuff is still alien to me.

I also bought a Kaplan book which I never opened. My recommendation is that you don't waste your time or money on Kaplan, go straight to MGMAT and get yourself a good score.

Hope this post will help you as you prepare for the exam.

Best wishes.

Hey GMATTERS2ME,
Congrats!700 is a top-notch score.
Hope you also go through the admission process swiftly.
I particularly liked the bold-faced part above.

Thanks all for the kind words. I got the official report yesterday and it's a 6.0 on the AWA.

What worked for me on the AWA was applying the CR argument analysis techniques to constructing my responses. In my essays I gave examples of one or two assumptions, said what would strengthen and weaken the argument, and listed flaws in reasoning.

For the analysis of an opinion essay, I gave two examples supporting my point of view. I used simple, conversational style and did not focus too much on the grammatical accuracy. Although, you do tend to pay attention to grammar anyway because of the ongoing SC prep.